Arizona Cardinals

Marshawn Lynch sits during National Anthem before Raiders preseason game against Cardinals

Marhsawn Lynch – who made his return to the NFL after a one-year retirement – is already turning heads without even stepping on the field yet.

Last night, just prior to the Raiders facing off against the Cardinals in preseason action, Lynch – who was in uniform but didn’t play – was seen sitting on a cooler with a banana in hand during the National Anthem. The former Seattle Seahawks running back was acquired by the Raiders in the offseason.

Lynch, who has only talked to the media once since coming out of retirement according to ESPN, didn’t address what happened after the game. However Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio spoke saying he didn’t know Lynch was going to sit during the Anthem but that it’s a “non issue” for him (Del Rio).

“[Lynch] said, ‘This is something I’ve done for 11 years. It’s not a form of anything other than me being myself,'” Del Rio said. “I said, ‘So you understand how I feel. I very strongly believe in standing for the national anthem, but I’m going to respect you as a man. You do your thing, and we’ll do ours.’ So that’s a non-issue for me.”

Raiders quarterback E.J. Manuel added that the team supported Lynch saying it “was more of a personal thing for him”.

“With what’s going on, I’d rather see him take a knee than stand up, put his hands up and get murdered,” Lynch said. “So my take on it is s— has to start somewhere, and if that was the starting point, I just hope people open up their eyes to see that there’s really a problem going on, and something needs to be done for it to stop. And if you’re really not racist then you won’t see what he’s doing as a threat to America, but just addressing a problem that we have.”

Colin Kaepernick is still a free agent heading into preseason and has only been linked a couple of team.

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